The Buffalo Bills' star wide receiver Sammy Watkins may now not be ready for training camp in July. Watkins had foot surgery in April to fix a broken bone in his left foot. The news of his injury and surgery didn't come out until a month later.
Now, ESPN reports Watkins said the Bills may keep him out of camp. This after when the news leaked in May, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Watkins would definitely miss training camp and the entire preseason. The report did say he would be ready for the first game of the season September 11th in Baltimore. Watkins had a team-high 60 catches for 1,047 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season despite missing three games with injuries to his calf and ankle.
Options for the Bills
With Watkins out, the Buffalo Bills have less options at wide receiver. In addition to the absence of Watkins, Marquise Goodwin won't be at training camp this July and August either. Goodwin is pursuing a shot at the Summer Olympics in Brazil in the long jump. He competed in the same event in the London Games in 2012. Without Watkins and Goodwin that leaves just Robert Woods, Greg Salas, Jarrett Boykin, Greg Little, and Leonard Hankerson, most who are relatively new to the team.
Watkins' injury is one of the many the Buffalo Bills have been dealing with this offseason. Most notable of these injuries is to the Buffalo Bills first round draft pick Shaq Lawson. The defensive end had said he played three years at Clemson with a shoulder injury but claimed it wouldn't require surgery. The Bills opted to be proactive and Lawson had the surgery in May. He is expected to be out throughout the entire training camp and preseason at least.
The Buffalo Bills finished mandatory minicamp earlier this month. Training camp at St. John Fisher College in Rochester runs from July 30 – August 22. The first preseason game is August 13 versus the Indianapolis Colts.